Aruani short stories
by Nuvospartan
Summary: Eight small one-shots that I am in the process of making for an AruAni-week event on Tumblr. [Currently working on Chapter/Day 5.]
1. Missing You

Missing You

By: Bioniclefreak25/Nuvospartan

Aruani Week, Day 1

"I miss you…" Armin sighed as he rested his hand on the crystal shell holding the motionless body of Annie Leonhart. It had only been a few days since she had been taken into custody by the Military police, but that time felt like forever to Armin. The crystal felt cold under his hand. An unnatural cold, almost like it was ice instead of crystal. And yet, it did not melt under his hand.

Armin stared at Annie who hung in the center of the crystal, asleep. Was she asleep, or was she in a coma? Maybe even dead. Armin tried not to dwell on those thoughts. To think that another person who he loved had died was to think of defeat, and he didn't want that. The blond teen sat on the floor of the storage room where the crystal had been moved to, resting his back against the cold surface. He sat in a square of moonlight that poured in through a skylight overhead.

"Why would you betray us Annie? Why would you betray me? We were all your friends. Friends would never try to kill each other, no matter what one did." Armin sighed once again, wrapping his cloak closer to his body for warmth. "I loved you."

Armin sat in place, staring at the door as he thought about the friendship he had with Annie.

Seeing a light flicker under the door of the storage room, and hearing the jingling of keys and the clack of the door unlocking signaled the approach of somebody, Armin got up from his spot and quickly hid behind a group of boxes. Two guards walked into the room one carrying a lantern, the other a rifle.

"I told you, I thought I heard a voice in here." The guard with the lantern stated, sweeping it from left to right, lighting dark corners of the room.

"And I told you that you're just hearing things." The other guard replied. "Come on, there's nobody here. Well, no people here. The titan bitch is still here though. As she should be."

He sauntered over to the crystal, looking at Annie who lay curled in the stone. Smirking, the guard pulled out the right blade of his 3D maneuver gear and struck at the crystal. To nobody's surprise, the blade shattered into bits.

"Damn bitch. As soon as you're out of that crystal, I'm gonna slit your throat." The guard said, putting the blade hilt back into the holster. "Come on, let's go back to the post. My legs are killing me."

The two guards turned around and exited through the door they had entered from, not bothering to take another look around the room. As soon as Armin heard the click of the door locking, he got up and walked back over to Annie. He picked up the shattered blade fragments and set them on top of a nearby box.

Armin once again rested his hand on the cold surface of the crystal, looking at Annie. The girl that he loved, separated from him by a few inches of crystal, so close yet so far. It physically hurt his heart to think about it. After getting his maneuver gear back on, Armin climbed a few boxes to get to the skylight, only turning back to see Annie once more before leaving.

"I really miss you, Annie." He whispered. "When you get out of the crystal, I'll be waiting for you with open arms." And with that, Armin exited the building as silently as possible, leaving behind the girl he loved.


	2. Bloodied Hands

Bloodied Hands

By: Bioniclefreak25/Nuvospartan

Aruani Week, Day 2

Nothingness. That's all Armin could understand. It was cold and distant, yet warm and close at the same time. A void that was empty and full simultaneously. Then a voice. A soft voice like an angels rang from every corner of the nothingness.

"Armin! Armin, wake up!"

It was familiar, yet unknown. Who was trying to call for him? All he wanted was to be left in peace. Armin tried to curl himself into a tight ball to escape the voice. That's when the pain struck him like a lightning bolt.

Opening his eyes, Armin was greeted to the sight of Annie's face hovering inches above his. Why was she so close to him? And why were tears falling from her eyes? Then Armin remembered.

The Colossal Titan had knocked down the gate, letting Titans into the city. Armin was about to be eaten by a titan, but he had just been saved by Eren… EREN!

"Annie, where are we? Where's Eren?" Armin said as he attempted to get up.

Annie rested her hand on his chest, holding him in place, and shook her head. "Armin, he's gone. Eren was eaten by that titan."

Hearing those words, Armin once again tried to get up. This time, Annie wasn't the one to stop Armin, but instead it was himself. That sharp pain from before shot throughout his body once more, leaving Armin breathless and unable to move. But there was something he hadn't noticed before. His legs, Armin couldn't feel his legs. Not wanting to look, the blond teen turned his head to face his friend. That's when he noticed that blood that stained Annie's hands and shirt.

"Annie… How bad is it? Tell me the truth." He gulped bracing himself for the news.

"You're fine." She whispered, brushing a hand against his cheek, the tears still dripping down her face.

"Annie, don't lie to me. Please. I need to know." Armin groaned through gritted teeth. Since that first jolt of pain, his senses slowly came back, and with his senses came the ever growing pain of his injury.

"You'll live. But I doubt you will ever walk again." Annie sighed heavily.

"Well if I live, then I live. And we can live together." Armin replied, ready to accept his fate.

Annie leaned forward, kissing Armin right on the lips. It came as a surprise to Armin at first, but he gratefully accepted it. After their lips parted, he reached a hand up and wiped a stray tear from Annie's face.

"It's been a while since the last time we kissed like that." Armin smiled weakly, his hand resting against her cheek. Annie smile back as she held his other hand between both of hers.

"It has, hasn't it." Annie's eyes closed and a smile spread on her lips as she remembered the last time they had both been together, just the two of them. She leaned forward once more and kissed him again. "Armin, I love you."

"I love you too, Annie." Armin smiled back as he clasped his hands around Annie's.

The two lovers stayed with each other in the tower, holding their bloodied hands together.


	3. Ghost

Ghost

By: Bioniclefreak25/Nuvospartan

Aruani Week, Day 3

When Eren heard the news, the rage that emanated from the teen was almost palpable. It scared Annie. It scared her so much that she actually shuddered in fear. The rage that Eren had for the titans had grown a hundredfold. Leaving Eren and Mikasa to grieve together, Annie had left them and returned to the tower. For the past few days, she had spent her days and most nights sitting on the tower, thinking about Armin.

'How did it end like this? Why is the world so cruel? He left me here, alone.'

These words floated through Annie's mind as she sat on the top of the tower. It was the same tower where she had taken Armin to stay safe when Trost had been attacked. If only she had told him the truth. Maybe then she wouldn't have this guilt welling up inside of her heart. Maybe if she had told Armin the truth, she would be able to sleep at night.

Just a few days ago, the titans had invaded Trost. Just a few days ago, Eren changed into a titan and blocked the hole in the wall. Just a few days ago, Armin had received a grim wound trying to save Eren from the titan that ate him. A wound that Annie had lied about and told him wasn't lethal.

A wound that killed him.

Before his death, Annie had lied to Armin. She only told Armin that he most likely would never walk again. She didn't tell him how bad it actually had been. How both of his legs and his hips had been completely shattered. She didn't tell Armin about the large cut in his abdomen which spilled his blood and guts.

Now the words she spoke and the words she should have said haunted her. The image of his mangled and bloody body invaded her sight during every hour. The empty feeling in her chest, the feeling of despair and pain, they deprived the blond girl of sleep.

"Armin, please forgive me." Annie cried quietly in the moonlight, legs hugged close to her chest. She looked up at the moon and the stars. "I wish you were here. Armin, why did you leave me? Why couldn't I save you?"

It was the first time in forever that she had cried. Most of the time, she was like a stone statue on the outside. But on the inside she was still just a girl, still just a human. No matter how much she hated people, Annie was still one of them.

The moon lit up the night sky, giving it a dark blue color, reminding Annie of Armin's eyes. Those eyes that stared directly into Annie's soul as he died in her arms.

Finally getting tired, Annie got up from her position on the tower and wiped the tears from her eyes. For Armin, she would stay strong. For the one that had loved her, Annie would hold her head high. She would keep herself going, even if it would eventually mean her death.

"I won't forget you, Armin." She said before stepping off the edge of the tower. Using her 3D maneuver gear, Annie returned to the barracks to rest and sleep the pain away.


	4. Serendipity

Serendipity

By: Bioniclefreak25/Nuvospartan

Aruani Week, Day 4

"Ah!" Armin shouted as he fell to the ground with a loud thud. The wind was knocked from his lungs, leaving the blond boy motionless and in a daze for a few seconds.

Just his luck to be stuck with Annie of all people for today's sparring practice. Armin may have been taller than her, but Annie had the upper hand in physique. Her lean and muscular body allowed for a quick and strong offense along with a hard and unmoving defense.

"Come on, Armin. Try again." Annie said as she reached a hand out to Armin to help him up.

Armin took her hand and got back up, planting his feet firmly on the ground. He got into the fighting stance and prepared to be beaten up even more. Silently, Armin gave a nod signaling that he was ready. Without warning, Annie struck out at him, going for a swift roundhouse kick to his head. Without a moment's hesitation, Armin dodged her kick with a smooth ducking motion. He struck at Annie with a punch in reply, going for her midsection which was wide open.

Annie brought her right elbow down onto Armin's arm, knocking his swing out of the way and knocking him off balance. Armin staggered slightly, trying to move away from Annie using his left foot to push away. With his right leg moving backwards to catch himself. Annie swept her leg low and set a hand on his chest. She kicked Armin's left leg out from underneath him and pushed Armin to the ground using his own weight against himself.

Once again, Armin was down for the count. He couldn't beat Annie. Nobody could. She was just too good. What bad luck that Armin got paired with her. At least that's what he thought.

This time, instead of helping Armin up, Annie sat down on the ground next to him. She began to take off her hand and foot wraps.

"Everyone else has left." Annie noted as she looked around the sparring field. And it was true. Not even commander Shadis was in sight.

"Huh." Armin said as he stared up at the sky from his spot on the ground, still out of breath. "Do you think they all went to dinner?"

"Most likely." She looked down at Armin and set a hand on his arm. "I didn't hurt you to badly, did I Armin?"

"No, I'm fine Annie." Armin chuckled as he sat up. "You did give me a good beating though."

Much to Armin's surprise, Annie giggled at his remark. She suddenly stopped and looked away, obviously flustered over losing her composure.

"You have a cute laugh." Armin smiled and looked in the opposite direction, staring at the horizon where the sun was lowering towards.

"Thank you… You're the first person here to hear me laugh. Actually, you're the first person who I've actually talked to."

Armin set his hand on Annie's knee, bringing her attention to him. She gave a small smile and wrapped her arms around Armin. Shocked, Armin froze in place before a smile crept onto his lips. He wrapped his arms around Annie in return and gave her a small hug. The two stayed hugging like that for a short while before they let go of each other.

Now feeling very awkward, Armin stood up and reached a hand out to Annie who gratefully took it. He helped her onto her feet. The two stood in place for a few seconds, staring into each other's eyes. Suddenly, Annie wrapped her arms around Armin's neck and placed her lips on his.

Armin was surprised, but he replied in kind by wrapping his arms around Annie's midsection and pressing into the kiss. After about half a minute, Armin and Annie parted their lips for air.

"We should head to dinner with the others." Annie said in an airy voice with a bright blush on her face, looking off into the direction of the mess hall.

"I think you're right. Let's go." Armin quickly kissed Annie's cheek before they both walked to the mess hall for dinner, hand in hand.


End file.
